BANYAN

A way of planking boats and ships is to mark a straight plank somewhere in the middle of the hull. This way the planks above and bellow will not have excessive curves during spilling or in your case will not need to be bent sidewise too much. 

Mooring bits.  
 
Rob

Did a bit of work on the small details.  Added forecastle step railing , the forward hold stair cover and began the fore fife rail.
 
Rob

This is exactly what I am saying when it comes to artist interpretation of other ships as well...such as the Great Republic...which has been poorly represented with incurring features from her original configuration and those of her rebuilt state.  A whole lot of Mixin and matchin...has taken place...and if you are not a student of her history, you can easily be fooled by what the artist has painted.  This is evidence that even Buttersworth, had either bias or ignorance.....or is just being an ARTIST.  Since Buttersworth has a proven history of making small errors.  One must, as it has been pointed out......skillfully use all data points...preferably first hand accounts.
 
Rob

Rob, bordering each side of the entrance to the main deck on USS Constitution 'Old Ironsides' there are these 2 beautifully carved gangway boards. They project slightly above the cut-out gangway entrance. I'm not suggesting you try to do any carved boards, just that you might appreciate seeing these.

Added a few more details. 
 
Rob

Finished adding the steps on the port side and finished the starboard side too. 
 
Rob

Milestone reached as this completes chapter 9.  All of the deck fittings except for the binnacle have been completed.   The last fitting was the rudder cover.   Again very straight forward.  All parts are laser cut.
 
To begin you must build the jig.  Just glue the part labeled "jig" on top of the square with the etched outline.
 

Then start adding the sides of the rudder cover.  Start with the back panel.  All corners will be mitered or beveled.  I just eye-balled it with a sanding stick.
 

Work your way forward and then finish up with the front panel.  Remember not to glue the rudder cover to the jig!!!
 
In addition, you can build the lid or top of the rudder cover.  It is in two layers as shown.  But dont glue it on yet.  This wont be done until after the rudder is installed and the tiller is added.  I did go ahead and paint them red however.
 


You can test fit this on deck...but notice the small step behind the rudder cover.   This is the step for the ensign staff.   This must be added first.  I have laser cut a bunch for you as they are small.  You must bevel the back side to fit snug against the transom.   The front side should be beveled as well to sit flush against the rudder cover.  You can glue them in position, but remember not to glue the top on for the rudder cover yet.  If you do ... you will never get that till inserted into the rudder head.
 

But you can sit the top in position and nobody will know it isnt glued on yet!!
 

Thats it...all fittings completed.   To begin chapter 10 I will be making the rudder and tiller.  Fun times.
 

What I am gonna shoot for with color scheme and rig.  Furled sails.  Only not 3” long.  
 
Getting close to rigging so I must create my vision board of inspiration.

That model inspired me as well Chuck. I look forward to your take on furling sails. Are you going to add that cutter? I believe I'm going to retrofit one after my current project is over. It's sitting on a couple spare topmasts I believe.

Another input, sorry for the late notice.
 
I am building a Barque rigged steam-screw launched in 1855 and I have a copy of her Rigging Warrant and Contracts/Specifications.  As with Terry's advice, her standing rigging was mostly steel wire rope (with the exception of the very topmost stays etc.  The remainder was mostly riga hemp with a fair bit of chain used for the sheets etc.
 
Hope this helps.
 
Pat

Another input, sorry for the late notice.
 
I am building a Barque rigged steam-screw launched in 1855 and I have a copy of her Rigging Warrant and Contracts/Specifications.  As with Terry's advice, her standing rigging was mostly steel wire rope (with the exception of the very topmost stays etc.  The remainder was mostly riga hemp with a fair bit of chain used for the sheets etc.
 
Hope this helps.
 
Pat

Update from the Shipyard - Thursday 14th August 2025.
The shipwrights(🤔) needed a break from hull planking.
We decided to move onto the aft sides, top strake, boarded side rails with gun ports.
From the RMG Draft of the Sirius(previous Berwick); not much detail on the side rails other than the height.
Reviewing a number of colour paintings and the Sirius model in the Australian Powerhouse Museum(PM), I adoption the boarded side rails with 3 x Gunports per side.
For me it makes sense the Sirius had solid side rails at the back for protection during the long arduous journey to the other side of the world.
  
I filled in between the "Long Top Timbers" with balsa wood to provide a solid base to glue the outer side rail boards onto. 

I made a jig to hold the bottom & 2 sides of the Gun Ports to make sure all are the same.

Finished Gun Port, ready for the outer boards to go on.
 
 

Nice progress Dave, coming on well.
 
cheers
 
Pat

I did just a little today thus far.   Added the port access way and steps.   Not all of McKay ‘s ships had these access ways.  
 
Rob

OK well here a few pictures of the capstan painted red.  At least folks will be able to see both choices and the decision will be easier for them.
 
I do like it better red...what do you guys think?
 

 

 

 

Oar Painting step by step...
From the top:
1. Unpainted oar
2. 3 coats of matt polyurethane varnish (thinned 25%) on shaft.
3. 3mm Tamiya masking for blade area with 1 coat of poly varnish (thinned 25%) on edge to prevent bleed.
4. Blade painted with 1 coat BIN primer and 2 coats of white enamel (thinned 25%)
 
 

I probably wouldn't buy-in someone elses parts, I was thinking of kitting myself out to do 3D-printing - or at least do the designs myself. On the other hand, as for my laser-cutting, parts usually do not turn out right at first shot. As @dafi knows well, there are usually several runs necessary to get the dimensions right for printing - unlike for substractive machining, where one in most cases ends up with the correct part.
 
However, I love this late 19th to mid-20th century manual technology of substractive machining and those old machines. In addition, I am already spending a good deal of my wake hours in front of a computer, so manual workshop work is a pleasant diversion.
 

Moving right along...
 
The elm pumps and mast coats were completed.  The mast coats were straight forward.  They were made by gluing three lasercut layers together.  The same as on the Winnie and other projects.  These are interesting however as the are octagonal.  So are the masts partly up their length.   The laser char was removed and the top edges were beveled or rounded off.   Then they were glued together and painted as on the contemporary model.   
 
The pumps were a whole different story.   On the contemporary model these pumps are quite elegant and light.  They are shown with very thin parts and slightly different than others I have seen or built.  There is a long slender metal post that supports the handle.  The handle is also very thin and long.  How these builders achieved this detail at 1/4" scale just amazes me.  They are also painted red on the contemporary model.  Just look at how thin and delicate the pumps are on the model below.  Note the small carved panel detail on each face of the pump.  I really wanted to see if I could replicate this same delicate look on my model at 3/8" scale.  Although less worn and dusty, LOL.
 


 
Anyhow...I decided to try my hand at 3D printing this.  Not only to make construction easier but maybe I can incorporate some of those more delicate details this way.  The photo below also shows the mast coats completed and painted.   For the pumps I had to create a left and right matching pair.   The body and its long slender metal post is all designed as one piece.  My attempt at those very subtle carved panels can hopefully be seen in my poor photographs.  You can leave the pumps natural and just paint the metalwork or go red as I have done.  Its up to you and they are printed with a tan/boxwood color resin for this purpose.  
 
The handle is laser cut from actual boxwood since it will be left natural and ties in an actual wood element to help pull off the realistic look.  I added a piece of 24 gauge black wire to the handle before gluing the handle onto the pump.   There is a hole in the bottom of the pump hole for this but I did drill it out larger for the wire.   I glued the handle in position trying to establish the same height and angle for them port and starboard.
 

Here is what they look like on the model.   There were holes in the deck where the pumps will go to help with placement so you can kind of match them to the pump tubes below deck.  Its not very difficult to do.
 

While not a perfect match to the contemporary model I think the slender and delicate look has been faithfully recreated.  I also decide what the hay...and painted the bsprit step red as well as I complete more deck fittings.  Oh and the mast coats are not glued in position yet.  That will be left for later when we step the masts.
 

 
One last fitting remains on the gun deck.  That is the capstan and I will build that next.   Then its onto the poop deck rail and details.
 
Chuck
 

Nice made parts Eberhard.  People may be able to buy them sure, but I only resort to that if the part required is beyond my skill level or capacity to make them.  A hand-made part is still preferable in my mind.
 
cheers
 
Pat

… but we are sinking slowly into technological obsolescence, considering what can be done with 3D-printing already.

Sure but... I've got nothing against 3D printing. I buy 3D parts but I wish I didn't have to, I wish I could make those parts myself. I think there's something to said for building a model totally by hand. I can't do it but for those that can, I admire them and their skills greatly.  

Thanks again for your interest !
 
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Anchor-winch 3
 
The winch drums were fashioned from 3 mm Ø round acrylic rod. Each side was built up from two pieces. The problem here were the square holes for the handle-bars. In principle, one could cross-drill two holes and file the square, but at 0.5 mm x 0.5 mm this would have been quite a challenge. There would be other options, such as broaching, but this requires specialised tools.
The simplest thing is to divide the drum into two parts, to slot the end of one part, cement the two parts together and one ends up with perfect square holes.

Set up for slotting the ends of the winch drums

Slotting the winch drums
 
To this end, a piece of rod was faced on both ends, and drilled 0.5 mm for the axle. It was then transferred to the dividing head on the micro-milling machine and the ends were slotted 0.5 mm deep with a 0.5 mm circular saw. Finally, a round disc of the same diameter was cemented to the end, leaving two perfectly square cross-holes.

Milling the eight sides of the winch drums
 
In the next step, the axle of the dividing head was tilted by 1.5° for milling the eight sides of the drum that is slightly conical. The drum is bound by iron hoops at both ends. These were generated by milling the drum to 0.2 mm diameter above the target dimensions. Then, the diameter was reduced by these 0.2 mm, leaving two ‘bands’ of 0.3 mm width and 0.1 mm thickness at both ends.

Close-up view of milling the eight sides of the winch drums
 
The thinner ends of the drum were faced off on the lathe to the correct length and then the drum halves parted off to the correct length.
 
The spill-heads were done in the same way, but are cylindrical (or eight-sided prisms), rather than conical (or eight-sided truncated pyramids). A smaller burr had to be used, as the distance between the reinforcement bands is only 1 mm. Before parting-off, the outside ends were slightly dished with a round-burr in the lathe tailstock.

Milling the spill heads
 
For the ratchet wheel a short length of 3 mm acrylic rod was turned down to 0.1 mm above the target diameter of 2.0 mm. The geometry for milling the ratchets was worked out on the computer. I arrived at ten ratchets 0.2 mm deep (= 32 mm on the prototype, which appears reasonable). In watchmaking there are special ratchet-wheel milling cutters that can also cut curved teeth, but I don’t have any, so I had to make do with a dovetail burr, which is good enough, as the ratchet wheel does not need to be functional. Also, two 0,2 mm thick discs as flanges were parted off.

Milling the ratchet wheel
 
Unfortunately, these transparent parts are difficult to photograph and, indeed difficult to see during machining. A first coat of paint will eventually show any errors …

The parts of the anchor winch made so far assembled

The anchor winch at its future location
 
To be continued …

More progress from the Shipyard - Thursday 7th August 2025.
A bit of a push over last week to get all the 1st layer planks onto the hull has been reached.
I spent a few hours fairing(sanding) the planks today.
I did carry the upper planks too far down the side.
However, for the first layer it's been a good refresher on planking before the 2nd layer of planks.
I'm pretty happy with the outcome so far.

Port Bow

Port Stern_Side

Port Stern

Starboard Bow

Starboard Stern_Side

Starboard side
 
I'll be marking out the Wales & thickstuff's, Sheer Strake, and the Channels next 
 
 
 

Lots of dust on the model...maybe today I will clean it all up.
 
Anyway...the bowsprit step/Belfry was up next. At this point none of the fittings are glued on deck.   I am not yet sure if I will paint it red or leave it natural.  The contemporary model has it painted red but the paint is so worn and light on that model it all pretty much blends in to everything else.  So I will wait until all of the fittings are made to determine whether I paint this.  I know the heel of of bowsprit inboard will be painted red so I will wait to see if painting the bsprit step red would be too much.
 

 
Here are most of the elements laser cut for the bstep/belfry.  There is a bunch of faking it on this fitting but in the end you wont be able to tall.  First I cleaned these Cedar pieces of laser char.  Dont be shy here.  It will all come off and look clean but takes time and care.  I used some 220 grit and 320 grit sanding sticks and even a sharp #11 blade.   You can see one side of the bstep all cleaned of char.  The other has yet to be cleaned and shaped.   You must finish the top and match the shaped timberhead.  For this a sharp blade was used to make a series of "stop cuts" and then basically carve the two sides that needed shaping.  This was after char clean up.
 
The center where the bowsprit will be stepped was cleaned and assembled.  Note the aft side of the step.  I have inserted a small laser cut square to simulate the tenon of the bowsprit.  Its just easier and cleaner this way.  Leave it standing proud a bit.  The forward side sill has a nice deep mortice for the actual tenon of the bowsprit.
 
Then there were the belfry elements.  This includes a length of twisted square wire.  This will be proved.  Yes this is commercially available.   You must use the plan to shape it which is shown.   Then blacken it.  The other elements are also shown.
 

Moving along...the step is now completed and drilled with simulated bolts.  Once again these were black fishing line (30 lb).  Note the laser etched seam which should go on the outside if each side piece...dont mix up the side pieces when assembling.  I also drilled the holes for the wire belfry.   That wire was blackened.  The stock for the bell was completed at this time.  Some laserboard elements simulate the ironwork.  I glued the top on first and then the two faces.   Some 24 gauge wire was inserted into the ends of the stock.  But you can attach this to the wire frame anyway you wish.  I knew it would be a challenge to drill through the frame for most so once again this is simplified.  I just filed some slots on the inside of each frame of the twisted wire at the height needed. I used the plans to establish where.  These tiny grooves were enough of a slot to slide and glue the belfry stock in position.  Its pretty secure.   Its not under any pressure so it should be safe and secure.
 
Before doing so however, I added the handle to the top of the bell stock.  I just bent it according to the plans.   I used 22 gauge blk wire.  You can add a tiny length of rope if want to.  I have decided not to as they always seem to hang left or right or curl up and that annoys me.  The bell was simply glued to the underside of the stock.   Then it was glued within the frame as described.
 

 
There is a little bit of cleaned up needed as my fingers must have been dirty.  But this is the result.
 

 

And finally shown on deck but not glued in position yet.  The companionway hood is also not glued in position yet.  No hurry with that.  This completes the fcastle deck fittings.  Now we start the gun deck fittings.  Ignore the dust!!!
 

 
Comments and questions are always welcome!!!
 
Chuck